NERC Independent Research Fellowship 2024 (Fellowship)

Before applying for funding, check the following:

• NERC eligibility guidance for applicants

• eligibility of your organisation

• check your project is in our remit, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.For full details, visit eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

This funding opportunity is open to early career researchers wishing to carry out independent research. Applicants on an upward trajectory to pursuing working independently and developing research leadership are encouraged to apply.You must also be able to evidence reasonable scientific and technical skills and competencies in line with the ambitions of the Independent Research Fellowship (IRF) scheme.If you are currently studying for a PhD, you are only eligible if you are expecting to have passed your PhD viva before September 2025.There is no limit on the number of years postdoctoral or work experience.Holders of postdoctoral training fellowships such as the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions can apply. Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellows and Daphne Jackson Trust fellows who meet all eligibility requirements may also apply.If you have been included on applications as a project co-lead, then you are eligible to apply provided you still meet all eligibility criteria. Your application must be different from applications you have been included on.You may be employed at lecturer level if this is clearly a ‘teaching only’ post.

Who is not eligible to apply

The following are not eligible to apply. You should not apply if you hold, or have ever held:

• a permanent position at lecturer level (or the equivalent in an institution other than a university) that includes setting up a group and conducting your own research

• an equivalent competitive fellowship that allows you to establish an independent research group, and therefore independent researcher status

• a tenured academic post

If you hold a fellowship where you are eligible to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a project lead, then we consider that equivalent to a lectureship. As a result, you are not eligible to apply.Examples of these fellowships include, but are not limited to:

• Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowships

• Medical Research Council career development awards

• BBSRC Discovery Fellowships

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

If you are unsure of your eligibility status, then you should email fellowships@nerc.ukri.org to confirm before you apply.Project partners fund their own involvement. We will only fund minor incidental expenses, such as some travel costs, if needed for project partners.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks

• support for people with caring responsibilities

• flexible working

• alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and NERC’s diversity and inclusion action plan.

Part-time fellowship

Independent research fellowships (IRFs) may be held full or part-time. We welcome applications from candidates who wish to work on a part-time or flexible basis to combine their responsibilities with a career.IRFs can be held on a part-time basis down to 0.5 full time equivalent (FTE). In all cases, the length of the fellowship must be extended accordingly on a pro rata basis. For example, a five-year fellowship on a full-time basis would equate to a 10-year fellowship with the fellow working 0.5 FTE, but the value of the award would remain the same.It is possible to change from part time to full time, or full time to part time at any point during the lifetime of the award.For more details on funding for fellows on research grants, see the NERC research grant and fellowships handbook.

Choice of institution

We recognise that mobility is not the only means to acquire the skills and experiences necessary to build a research career. We also recognise the need for having a fixed institution to provide unique facilities or opportunities, and other circumstances where moving would be unsuitable, such as domestic arrangements.

To demonstrate a commitment to the development of IRFs, we expect the candidate to have agreed their support with the head of department of the host institution. This should be evidenced in the appropriate ‘Host organisation support’ section of the application.

Scope

Through an Independent Research Fellowship (IRF), we will invest in researchers seeking to conduct their own environmental research within an eligible host organisation. You should demonstrate convincing evidence of working towards this goal and a high potential to become an independent research leader of the future.

You must demonstrate that, if awarded an IRF, you will be working independently of senior colleagues with whom you might have previously collaborated or with whom you might currently be working in a supporting role. Assessors must be convinced that you have devised your own research questions.

For examples of how to demonstrate meeting these criteria, see the ‘How we will assess your application’ section.

This funding opportunity supports excellent investigator-led research across the breadth of our scientific remit. We welcome multidisciplinary applications that cross into other research council areas but expect the primary focus of your work to fall within Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)’s remit.

We work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Duration

The duration of this award is five years.

Projects must start after 16 February 2026, and within six months from the award of the fellowship.

Funding available

There are no funding limits for our IRFs.

We will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).

What we will fund

We will fund:

• facilities costs

• cruise costs

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• PhD studentship costs

• equipment of £10,000 and over

You should request smaller items of equipment (under £10,000 individually) under ‘Consumables (other directly incurred costs)’ in your application. This £10,000 funding limit cannot be used to part-fund equipment costing more than the £10,000 limit.

Services and facilities

You can apply to use a facility or resource in your funding application.

You should discuss your application with the facility or service at least two months before the funding opportunity’s closing date to:

• discuss the proposed work in detail

• receive confirmation that they can provide the services required within the timeframe of the funding

The facility will provide a technical assessment that includes the calculated cost of providing the service. NERC services and facilities must be costed within the limits of the funding.

You should not submit the technical assessment with the application, but you must confirm you have received it.

For more information, see the NERC research grants and fellowships handbook.

Read the full list of NERC facilities that require a technical assessment.

High performance computing (HPC), Ship time and Marine Equipment (SME) and the large research facilities at Harwell have their own policies for access and costing.

Ship-time and marine facilities

Applications may require ship-time and other marine facilities. If you wish to use NERC’s marine facilities, then you must complete an online ‘ship-time and marine equipment (SME) or autonomous deployment (ADF) application form’ available from Marine Facilities Planning. Include the SME or ADF number on the ‘Facilities’ section of your application.

SMEs or ADFs must be submitted to and approved by NERC Marine Planning by the time your funding application is submitted. A PDF of the SME or ADF can be attached as a facility form to your application. If you do not do this, your request may not be included in the NERC Marine Facilities Programme.

If you intend to apply for NERC’s marine facilities, you should contact marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org to discuss ship-time and equipment needs as soon as possible and by 3 March 2025.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Antarctic logistics support

If you require NERC British Antarctic Survey Antarctic Logistics Support, then you must complete a pre-award operational support planning questionnaire (OSPQ) online.

You must email the Antarctic Access Office (AAO) at BAS (email: afibas@bas.ac.uk) stating your name, institution and project title.

The AAO will set up a new and numbered pre-award OSPQ and send the link to you along with instructions for completion.

The deadline for pre-award OSPQs to be submitted is 3 January 2025. Any funding applications that request Antarctic logistic support without having received prior logistic approval will not be awarded. All funding applications wishing to use Antarctic logistics support must add this to the facilities question in their application.

You should also be aware of the NERC update on polar research planning.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

Find out more about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

Data management

You must adhere to UKRI open research policy and NERC data policy and complete the ‘Data management and sharing’ question.

For details of data centres, see the NERC Environmental Data Service.

We will pay the data centre directly on behalf of the programme for archival and curation services, but you should ensure that you request sufficient resource to cover preparation of data for archiving by the research team. Additional services from the data centres, such as database development or a specialist in project data management during your project, will need to be discussed with the relevant data centre prior to submission, costs for additional services will need to be funded from your grant.

Responsible research

Through our funding processes, we seek to make a positive contribution to society and the environment. This is not just through research outputs and outcomes but through the way in which research is conducted and facilities managed.

All NERC grant holders are to adopt responsible research practices as set out in the NERC responsible business statement.

Responsible research is defined as reducing harm or enhancing benefit on the environment and society through effective management of research activities and facilities. Specifically, this covers:

• the natural environment

• the local community

• equality, diversity and inclusion

You should consider the responsible research context of your project, not the host institution as a whole. You should take action to enhance your responsible research approach where practical and reasonable.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant, and their wider team, to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Expert review

We will invite experts to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. They will provide us with a shortlist of applicants who will be invited to an interview panel. The interview panel will make a funding recommendation.You will not be able to nominate reviewers for applications on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. Research councils will continue to select expert reviewers. We are monitoring the requirement for applicant-nominated reviewers as we review policies and processes as part of the continued development of the new Funding Service.

Interview panel

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to deliver a presentation, followed by interview questions from the panel. These questions will consist of scientific questions raised by panel members about your proposed work and non-scientific questions (such as leadership, career development or impact).Reasonable adjustments to the interview set-up will be implemented for those who request it.We expect interviews to be held in September 2025.NERC will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within seven months of the funding opportunity closing date.

Feedback

We will provide panel feedback to all applicants by email.Applicants unsuccessful at the sift panel will be provided with panel feedback.All applicants who attend the interview panel will be provided with panel feedback.We reserve the right to work with successful applicants post assessment to discuss any aspect of the application before award (for example, discuss panel feedback or requirements from NERC).

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.Find out about the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The areas against which your application will be assessed are:

• vision

• approach

• applicant capability to deliver

• career development

• commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

• host organisation support

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

• resources and cost justification

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service This Opportunity opens on Thursday 9 January 2025 - UKRI Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply.

To apply

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful stage one application. The start application link will be provided via email.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.

2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.

3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words

• insert each new image onto a new line

• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)

• ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019)

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

We must receive your application by 12 March 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)

• declaration of interest

• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section

• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at board and panel outcomes.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the project addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)

• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)

• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))

• specialist

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• visiting researcher

• researcher co-lead (RcL) (Not an applicable role for new investigator applications)

For all applications: you should only list one individual as project lead. If you include more than one project lead your application will fail at the checking stage.

UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Related applications

Word limit: 2,000

How have you considered and acted on the feedback received for your stage one application?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

In your response ensure you:

• describe how this application differs from the stage one application and how feedback on the stage one application has been considered and acted on

• provide succinct responses to the panel’s comments on your stage one application

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Vision

Word limit: 1,100

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)

• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area

• is timely given current trends, context, and needs

• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

• provide details of the current clinical challenge, healthcare burden or knowledge gap

• summarise the current state of understanding about the relevant mechanisms of disease

• identify the current gap in mechanistic understanding

• state the mechanistic hypothesis to be tested

• identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be

• identify potential improvements in human or population health, whether through contributing to relieving disease or disability burden, improving quality of life or providing benefit to the health service or health-related industry

• if applicable, describe the route to patient benefit

• explain if the results will be valuable for discovery science through ‘reverse translation’

References may be included throughout the vision section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Intervention

Word limit: 550

What is the planned intervention?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain the planned intervention to be used in the proposed work, including:

• the type of intervention, which may include compound, biologic, psychological, physiological, or infection

• relevant background information, including its established safety profile and use in other mechanistic studies

• if applicable, summarise the development history of the intervention

• if applicable, provide details of any existing IP associated with this intervention

References may be included throughout the intervention section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Approach

Word limit: 3,500

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Within the Approach section we expect you to provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan, including timelines in the form of an embedded Gantt chart or similar, including:

• the objectives of the proposed research in order of priority

• the primary and secondary experimental outcomes and how they relate to the experimental objectives

• how the proposed work packages will ensure the project objectives are achieved

Explain how your approach is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives.

Please ensure that the provided Gantt chart is legible and includes at least two progression milestones (to include the project end goal)

Within the Approach section, we also expect you to provide details on the proposed methodology and experimental design, including:

• the experiments you will undertake to probe the stated hypothesis

• the data you will collect and how it will test the hypothesis

• the proposed trial design and why this approach is appropriate to meet the study objectives

As part of your methodology, describe the nature of human participation in your proposed work, including:

• the characteristics of the participants (such as age, disease) and the rationale for their selection

• evidence of recruitment feasibility

• the human participant recruitment strategy, including the steps that will be taken if patient recruitment does not reach the set targets

• provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place

• if applicable, provide details of how any limited animal, library specimen or isolate cell work will inform the human-centric proposed work. For any research involving animals and tissues and cells, you must show how you will use both sexes. If you are not proposing to do this, a strong justification is required

• if applicable, explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships and the added value these offer

Demonstrate that your proposed approach is feasible, and comprehensively identify any risks to delivery and how they will be managed, including:

• how likely the risks are to occur

• what their impact would be on the success and deliverability of the project

• your risk mitigation strategy, giving particular consideration to any potential safety risks and how these risks will be controlled

• you may include a risk table to support your response

Describe how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work.

Demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work, including:

• specialist equipment or infrastructure required to deliver the project objectives

• proposed use of existing joint research facilities

• proposed use of existing clinical infrastructure, for example Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, NIHR Clinical Research Facilities, patient cohorts

• if not already in place, explain how you will ensure this infrastructure is accessible by the project start date

Describe how you will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts through your plans for engagement, communication and dissemination with:

• the research community

• if appropriate, with potentially interested wider audiences

• include your public and patient involvement and engagement plans

We suggest you structure your response using the following headings, with approximate words limits for each:

• project plan: 1,650 words

• methodology and experimental design: 850 words

• risk management: 400 words

• infrastructure and equipment: 400 words

• engagement, communication and dissemination: 200 words

References may be included throughout the approach section. We suggest you include your references under the most relevant heading. Any references you include count towards the approximate word limit indicated for each heading.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

You should detail any information regarding your statistical design in the ‘Reproducibility and statistical design’ section.

Reproducibility and statistical design

Word limit: 500

How will you ensure your proposed work is reliable, robust and reproducible?

What assessors are looking for in your response

Information about reproducibility and how you will ensure reliability and robustness of your proposed work, such as further details of statistical analyses, methodology and experimental design, not provided in your approach.

We expect you to seek professional statistical or other relevant advice in preparing your response, which should include, as appropriate:

• sample and effect sizes

• planned statistical analyses

• models chosen (for example animal model, cell line)

• potential sources of bias and how these will be mitigated during analysis

• how your approach to addressing diversity is reflected in the experimental design and analyses

Refer to the MRC guidance for applicants, for further information, examples and online tools.

If your proposed work involves animals, and you provide information on animal sample sizes and statistical analyses here, you should not duplicate it in the Research involving the use of animals section. Use the ‘Research involving the use of animals section to provide information on the rationale for using animals, choice of species, welfare and procedure severity.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The length of your response will vary depending on the type of project, you may not need to use 500 words.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 1,500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Provide your response in the text box following the headings in the MRC data management plan template. You are not required to upload the document to your application.

The length of your plan will vary depending on the type of study being undertaken:

• population cohorts; longitudinal studies; genetic, omics and imaging data; biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words

• all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words

Project milestones

Word limit: 1,500

Provide details of your project milestones.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide at least two key progression milestones for your project, that:

• delineate the proposed work into costed project phases with clear Go or No-Go decision points

• establish key progression milestones with target and acceptable thresholds

Download and complete the following Experimental Medicine milestone template (DOCX, 62KB) and copy and paste into the text box.

Milestones must be SMART, that is: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-framed:

• detail robust Go or No-Go criteria (failure to meet these will result in early termination of the project).

• for all projects, it is advisable to structure the project so that the critical questions are addressed as early as possible in the plan

Success criteria should be based on project outputs that, at the given point, need to be achieved in order to justify further continuation of the studies. Success criteria should align to project aims and objectives; success criteria for the final milestone should reflect what success for the funded aspect of the project would equate to.

For each success criterion, please specify a quantified target value that you will seek to attain and a quantified acceptable value, which, if achieved, would support project progression

For clinical studies, this should include a summary of:

• study design

• study participants

• study endpoints

• dose (when applicable)

• analysis plans

Do not include project management meetings or other process-related tasks as milestone success criteria.

Your estimate of the milestone criteria being met should assume that the preceding milestone was achieved.

For the final milestone, the criteria should reflect outcomes representing successful completion of the project.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 2,200

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work

• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work

• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others

• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word limit for this section is 2,200 words:

• 1,500 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references)

• 200 words to summarise the career stage of the core team (an example table will be provided within the Funding Service to assist you with your summary)

• 500 words for ‘Additions’ if necessary

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge

• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships

• contributions to the wider research and innovation community

• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit, including public partnerships

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

References may be included within this section.

The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating third party organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Important note: If your application includes industry project partners, you will also need to complete the Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF) section. Find out more about ICF.

You must ensure that any third party individual or organisation you include within the Funding Service as a project partner, also provides you with a supporting email or letter of support (see next section ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’).

The individual named as the project partner contact, cannot be included in your application as a member of the core team, in any core team role.

The project partner organisation cannot be an applicant organisation, where any member of the core team is based. For example, you cannot include a different department based within the applicant organisation as a project partner.

If an individual or organisation outside the core team is responsible for recruitment of people as research participants or providing human tissue for this project, list them as a project partner.

Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)

• the project partner contact name and email address

• the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, these project partner costs should be claimed and justified within the resources and costs section of your application.

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Word limit: 10

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’.

What supporting statements we are looking for 

Important note: We are only looking for you to provide project partner letters or emails of support from the following:

• a third-party individual

• a third-party organisation

Third party means the individual and organisation must not be involved in the application core team. You must ensure that any project partners providing a supporting document, are also added to the ‘Project partners’ section within the Funding Service.

What supporting statements we are not looking for 

We are not looking for you to provide any letters or emails of support from individuals or organisations included in your application core team (this includes other departments within the same organisation). Any individual or organisation included in your application with a core team role cannot also be a project partner.

Do not include any other statements or any other type of information we have not requested, including letter or emails of support from colleagues simply expressing supportive opinions. We only expect letters or emails of support from your third-party project partners uploaded to this section.

If you include any information not requested by MRC, your application will be rejected.

Supporting letter and email guidance for third party project partners

Each project partner letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project

• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them

• describe any additional value that they bring to the project

• include the name of the project partner organisation and contact information (this should match the partner contact and organisation name details you must add to the ‘Project partners’ section)

• have a page limit of two sides of A4 per partner

Project partners letters and emails of support are not required to be on headed paper or include handwritten signatures (electronic signatures are acceptable from the nominated partner contact).

Industry or company project partner letter and email of support guidance

Industry or company project partners are required to complete the industry or company letter of support template by exploring the document download section of MRC Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF). This will ensure the letter or email they provide you, contains all the relevant information we need.

Project partner responsibility for the recruitment of people

If the project partner is responsible for the recruitment of people as research participants or providing human tissue their letter or email of support should include:

• agreement that the project partner will recruit the participants or provide tissue

• confirmation that what is being supplied is suitable for the proposed work

• confirmation that the quantity of tissue being supplied is suitable, but not excessive for achieving meaningful results (if applicable)

Multiple project partners

If you have multiple project partners, you should:

• ensure each separate partner letter or email of support, does not exceed two pages of A4

• consolidate all the supporting documents provided by each project partner into a single PDF file before uploading

• ensure the PDF does not exceed the maximum file size of 8MB

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)

Word limit: 1,500

Does your application include collaboration with industry or company project partners?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

The assessors are looking for you to confirm if your proposed work involves collaboration with an industry or company project partner. If it does, you will need to follow the MRC industry collaboration framework (ICF).

By ‘industry or company’ we mean an enterprise that puts or has intention to put goods or services on a market.

For guidance to assist your decision if your proposed work requires you to follow ICF, you should explore the ICF decision tree and find out more about ICF which includes:

• collaboration agreements

• definitions of basic or applied research

• internationally based companies

• subsidy control

• intellectual property (IP) arrangements

• fully flexible and gated contributions

• the ICF assessment criteria

Enter ‘Yes’ in the text box if you have industry or company project partners and you are likely to follow ICF. You should also confirm your answers to the ICF questions one to nine in the text box for each ICF project partner.

Contact experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.org if you are unsure if your application should follow ICF.

In addition to the project partner information completed in the previous section, the assessors are looking for information relating to the nature, goals and conditions of the collaboration and any restrictions or rights to the project results that could be claimed by the industry or company project partner.

Confirm your answers to the ICF questions in the text box, repeat this process for each ICF project partner:

1. Name the industry or company project partner considered under ICF.

2. Indicate whether your application is basic research or applied research.

3. Explain why, in the absence of the requested UKRI funding, the collaboration and the planned research could not be undertaken.

4. State whether your application is under the category of fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the industry or company).

5. Outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each partner, including the academic partner, will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which partners may access these assets.

6. Outline the IP that is expected to be developed during the collaborative research project (‘foreground IP’) and briefly outline how it will be managed, including:

   • who will own this IP

   • what rights industry or company partners will have to use academically-generated foreground IP during and after the research project, for internal research and development or for commercial purposes

   • any rights of the academic partner to commercialise the foreground IP, including foreground IP generated by industry or company partners

7. Outline any restrictions to dissemination of the project results, including the rights of the industry or company partner to:

   • review, approve or delay publications (including the time period associated with such rights)

   • request or require the removal of any information

8. Declare any conflicts of interest held by the applicants in relation to the industry or company project partners and describe how they will be managed.

9. Justify collaborating with an overseas industry or company under ICF (if applicable).

Failure to provide the information requested for industry or company partners under ICF could result in your application being rejected.

You are recommended to discuss the goals and conditions of any collaboration with an industry or company with your technology transfer or contracts office before applying.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. You must provide us with a copy of the collaboration agreement, signed by all partners, before an ICF award starts.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Word limit: 100

Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:

• list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in

• if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, answer ‘N/A’ here.

We may ask you to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations

• how you will manage these considerations

Consider the MRC guidance on ethics and approvals.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Genetic and biological risk

Word limit: 700

Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

In respect of animals, plants or microbes, are you proposing to:

• use genetic modification as an experimental tool, like studying gene function in a genetically modified organism

• release genetically modified organisms

• ultimately develop commercial and industrial genetically modified outcomes

If yes, provide the name of any required approving body and state if approval is already in place. If it is not, provide an indicative timeframe for obtaining the required approval.

Identify the organism or organisms as a plant, animal or microbe and specify the species and which of the three categories the research relates to.

Identify the genetic and biological risks resulting from the proposed research, their implications, and any mitigation you plan on taking. Assessors will want to know you have considered the risks and their implications to justify that any identified risks do not outweigh any benefits of the proposed research.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Research involving the use of animals

Word limit: 10

Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms.

Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Conducting research with animals overseas

Word limit: 700

Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research. Ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement.

If your application proposes animal research to be conducted overseas, you must provide a statement in the text box. Depending on the species involved, you may also need to upload a completed template for each species listed.

Statement

Provide a statement to confirm that:

• all named applicants are aware of the requirements and have agreed to abide by them

• this overseas research will be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with the principles of UK legislation

• the expectation set out in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research will be applied and maintained

• appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place

Templates

Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs will be assessed during NC3Rs review of research applications. Provide the required information by completing the template from the question ‘Research involving the use of animals’.

For studies involving other species, such as:

• rodents

• rabbits

• sheep

• goats

• pigs

• cattle

• xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis

• zebrafish

Select, download, and complete the relevant Word checklist or checklists by exploring NC3Rs checklist for the use of animals overseas.

Save your completed template as a PDF and upload to the Funding Service. If you use more than one checklist template, save it as a single PDF.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If conducting research with animals overseas does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)

• any equipment that will cost more than £10,000

• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• support for international co-leads, demonstrating this is within the 30% costs cap for co-leads from developed countries, India and China. There is no cap on costs requested for international applicants from DAC list countries

• NHS research costs, when they are associated with NHS studies

• animal costs, such as numbers that need to be bred or maintained and to maintain high welfare standards

• any work to be outsourced, including the reason for outsourcing, scope, provider and cost

• support for public and patient involvement and engagement. Payments to public partners can be included under the exceptions fund heading

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Clinical research using NHS resources

Word limit: 250

Are you applying to do clinical research in the UK?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Researchers applying to do clinical research in the NHS, public health or social care usually need to complete a Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool (SoECAT).

We request the SoECAT because we want to know that you have taken the appropriate steps to request National institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) support and for the full costs of your research to be attributed, calculated and paid.

We want to see the expected total resources required for your project to consider if these are appropriate.

Enter ‘Yes’ and complete and upload a SoECAT if you are applying for clinical research and:

• you will carry out your research in the UK

• your research will use NHS resources

• the research requires approval by Health Research Authority (England) or its equivalents in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales

• you will need support from the NIHR Research Delivery Network, this may include studies in a social care or public health setting

It is important to complete a SoECAT to be eligible for NIHR support. You must complete a SoECAT even if you don’t think your clinical research will involve excess treatment costs (ETCs).

See MRC guidance on who needs to complete a SoECAT.

How to complete a SoECAT

SoECAT guidance can be found on the NIHR website .

These are the steps you need to take:

1. Contact an attributing the costs of health and social care Research & Development (AcoRD) specialist as early as possible in the application process

2. Complete an online SoECAT. Excel versions of the form have been discontinued. If you don’t have an account for NIHR’s Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS) you will need create and activate one. See the NIHR user guide for instructions

3. Request authorisation of your SoECAT

4. Once authorised extract the ‘study information’ and the ‘summary’ page from the ‘Funder Export’, combine them as a single PDF and upload it to your application.

Applications that require a SoECAT but have not attached the SoECAT funder export study information and summary may be rejected.

Ensure the AcoRD specialists name and date are include within the uploaded summary page. The SoECAT is invalid without this information.

Contact experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.org if you have questions about the UKRI aspects of this process or have concerns that your SoECAT may not be authorised in time for the application closing date.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Background

Support for applicants

You are strongly encouraged to engage with your organisation’s Research Governance Office who will be able to offer guidance and support.Guidance is available on the MRC Regulatory Support Centre, developed in collaboration with the Health Research Authority, for those conducting research with human participants, their tissues or data.The vast majority of studies that involve human participants, their tissues or data should undergo a research ethics committee (REC) review and many research studies may require an NHS REC opinion. The Health Research Authority Decision Tool can be used to determine whether your study requires this type of approval.The Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) should be used when applying for NHS REC approval and for other regulatory approvals. IRAS is a single system for applying for the permissions and approvals for health and social/community care research in the UK.Prior to the establishment of the Experimental Medicine Panel, we ran four experimental medicine challenge grant funding opportunities. As part of these, a webinar was held to articulate the remit, what qualifies as good experimental medicine, challenges identified from previous rounds and how successful applications were designed, reviewed and conducted.You may find the webinar recording useful in preparing an experimental medicine application.

Ethics and regulatory approval

We do not require ethics permissions and regulatory approvals to be in place when you submit an application (stage one or stage two). However, given that research involving human subjects or requiring the use of human tissue or organs may raise various ethical and regulatory issues, you will be required to demonstrate that you have adequately considered these matters.Early discussions with regulatory bodies are advised to ensure that all requirements can be met in a timely manner. Once an application is successful, it is the responsibility of the host organisation to ensure that the appropriate ethics and regulatory approval has been obtained and that no research requiring such approval is initiated before it has been granted.

Resources

You may find the following organisations and resources useful when preparing an application.The National Institute for Health and Care Research provides a clinical trials toolkit that gives practical advice to those planning or running clinical trials in the UK.If you are considering a drug repurposing project you may wish to explore the Repurposing Medicines Toolkit, developed by MRC and LifeArc.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Experimental medicine milestone form (DOCX, 62KB)

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• MRC policies and standards

Related opportunities

• Experimental medicine stage one

• Artificial intelligence, engineering biology and quantum technologies: highlight notice

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this pageIMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UKRI Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.For general questions related to MRC funding including our funding opportunities and policy please contact rfpd@mrc.ukri.orgFor questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.orgAny queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Updates

• 6 February 2025In 'Who can apply' under the 'Choice of institution' section, the second paragraph has been edited 'To demonstrate a commitment to the development of IRFs...'